Tuesday, June 19, 2007

This is possibly the best example I've ever seen of conservatarian noblesse oblige:

Lawyers for former Interior Deputy Secretary Steven Griles are arguing that the convicted felon should not serve any prison time but instead be sentenced to perform community service for a program funded by The Walt Disney Company and recreational industry lobbyists....The industry consortium has already approved a slot for Griles in which he would fundraise, secure corporate partners and handle “communication…with government entities and the media.”

By the same logic, an official who illegally turned a public forest over to developers could perform community service by driving one of the firm's bulldozers.

I could almost bring myself to admire the sheer nerve it'd take to make this argument, if I didn't suspect that the people making it have no idea that there's anything outrageous about it. In Hell, some say, gluttons are forcefed; here on earth, teenagers caught sneaking cigarettes are sometimes made to smoke a whole pack of them. Maybe if Griles spends enough time toadying to industry, he'll weary of it. You never know 'til you try!

In unrelated news, the Farm Bill currently under debate in Congresss includes a section that would forbid state and local governments from restricting the planting of genetically modified crops.

It is unclear who inserted Section 123 into the federal legislation, but staffers working on the bill say they do not expect it to survive intact.

Shocking, isn't it? Whoever did this terrible thing should be forced to repay the community by distributing Monsanto-approved educational materials to public schools.